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| Baskarr | |
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| Religion | |
| Pronunciation | Bas-Car |
| Origins | Dewamenet |
| Deities | |
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Origins
Baskarr, or the Faces of Baskarr as it is more commonly called, is a Religion primarily worshiped by the Asha and Feka Asha, dating back all the way to the Dewamenet Empire. As a result, Baskarr is one of the oldest, if not the oldest, continually worshiped religion for tens of thousands of years. However, because of the Dewamenet-Allorn War, and the subsequent enslavement of the Asha to the Allorn, it is generally assumed in the modern era that what is modern Baskarr is not the same as Dewamenet Baskarr, with aspects of the religion and nuances lost to time and Nelfin interference. The religion survived through word of mouth in enslaved communities, and after tens of thousands of years of separation, small differences and changes converged into new beliefs and concepts. As such, while it is perhaps the oldest continually worshiped religion, it is also an incredibly unstable religion that habitually experiences radical changes as ancient Dewamenet history and legacy is unearthed in the modern era.
Core Identity
Baskarr is a religion centered around the concept of Ma’at which is loosely translated to Karma in Common. Ma’at is the golden rule of the world to Baskarr, one that divines world order, peace, stability, hierarchy and correctness and justice. The idea that one will receive back what one does upon others, or that one will inflict back on others what has been inflicted on them. Everything that happens in the world to any person is deterministic because of what this person has done prior in their life, the sum of their actions, thoughts, emotions and wants and needs, and how the Gods arbitrate this process. The term Baskarr itself means Origins in the old Dewamenet language, with the five Gods of Baskarr believed to be the five original Asha from which all other Asha were born, created, or wished into existence, though the topic of how the Asha were created exactly by their Gods is still a controversial one.
Tenets
- Bravery: Baskarr demands that its followers be brave, for bravery inspires others, and by showing bravery, the faithful can depend on others to show bravery and support when they are in need. Bravery in this context can also mean bravery not to be sinful or doubtful.
- Calm: Baskarr demands by nature a calmness and kindness to not inflict undue cruelty and harm onto others what has not already been inflicted on one’s self. Note this is not the same as passivity, it simply means that Baskarr faithful should not start a fight, but always end one.
- Pleasure: Baskarr permits its worshipers a great deal of personal leisure and satisfaction, proclaiming that the natural world itself has no Ma’at, and as such the world is the fruits of labor of the faithful to use in whatever way they wish and desire.
- Vengeful: Baskarr demands that Ma’at scores are settled. They are not strictly the same as revenge demands of other religions, but more a way of indicating that in the absence of divine retribution, the faithful should exact what was inflicted on them back onto the perpetrators.
- Charity: Baskarr honors the concept of charity through Ma’at, believing that what is charitably given, shall be equally received further in life. Charity and communal lifestyle are a major focus point of the Baskarr faith, and by extension much of Asha society.
- Honest: Baskarr does not demand honesty per se, but indicates that every lie is returned with a lie, no matter how big or small. For each lie uttered, the person will receive a lie in return, and most faithful don’t want to bargain with the risk of a white lie returned with a major lie.
- Pride: Baskarr is a somewhat unique faith, in that it demands physical perfection. Core to its concepts is the idea that in order to take care of others and receive their blessings in return, a person must first take care of themselves, their health, mental health, and appearance, and be prideful of them.
- Vanity: A very important aspect of Baskarr, because of the concept of Pride, is Vanity, and to display one’s means. Baskarr worshipers spend a lot on accessorizing and grooming themselves to the most ideal physical and mental presentation that they can present. Body modification is part of this, though there are notable exceptions such as Magical changes.
- Ma’at: The more core concept of Baskarr is Ma’at, or Karma, the idea that every action, thought, emotion, want, and desire, is paid forward and received back in some form later in life, and that the Gods hold the scales of balance of receiving and giving. The Afterlife also plays into this, in that if someone has much Ma’at due, they are permitted, but if they took too much, they are denied.
- Retribution: While most would consider Ma’at to be a tenet that results in a pacifist community, the exact opposite is true. The Baskarr faithful do not simply wait for the Gods to enact justice onto others, but do it themselves in most cases. This is even considered pious, because by enacting justice on a person before their death, the Baskarr faithful are balancing the scales, thus making their enemies more likely to pass into the afterlife, which is considered an act of kindness or compassion.
Beliefs
- Narrative: In Baskarr, each newborn person creates a new soul that is a challenge to the soul bearer. The world is filled with both good and bad things, and bad things in particular seduce the soul into acting out of Ma’at, or with excessive greed, excessive violence, or excessive denial of freedom of movement. Throughout life, the faithful enact decisions and actions on each other, which add onto a scale of balance between giving and taking that each soul represents. A person can make amends for evil deeds, or be inflicted retribution upon their soul by others, thus correcting any imbalances. When a Soul passes to the Afterlife, which is called the Dauat, the gods weigh the soul’s value against that of a feather, which is said to weigh a near zero when it comes to Ma’at. Those who have sinned a lot have a heavy soul, while those with good Ma’at have a lighter soul, thus making the feather heavier. Those with heavy souls are rejected and sent back to Aloria, condemned to live the life of a diminutive animal. For example if a feline Asha’s soul was deemed too heavy, they are sent back to Aloria to live their life as a domestic cat. This is also why Baskarr worshipers hold specific animals in holy esteem. Even though they are burdened souls, repentance as a domestic or wild animal is considered holy repentance, and to kill such an animal is considered a grave crime against the Gods. Souls that are deemed light enough to stay in Dauat are given their own boat and sent sailing on the eternal ocean. It is said that the Dauat is an eternally calm ocean under a perfectly lit starry night sky, where the souls of those deemed worthy sail forever without need or want, and able to visit the boats of their friends and loved ones, as well as pets. Because pets go to the Dauat automatically (domestic animals cannot commit sins), it is believed that those who are condemned to be reincarnated as a dog or a cat will automatically pass to the Dauat once their repentance is up. This makes Baskarr a unique faith in that it is the only religion where everyone gets to go to the afterlife of pristine quality, regardless of how badly they behave, though being re-incarnated is still considered a huge risk. While Baskarr worshipers hold domestic cats, dogs, otters, and horses in high esteem and consider them holy animals, other religions do not. If a domestic cat in which a reincarnated soul resides is killed by someone who is not a Baskarr worshiper, the soul is destroyed and disappears forever. This is why Baskarr worshipers abhor animal abuse or the slaughter and eating of holy animals.
- Asha Faith: Baskarr is technically a religion for only Asha, though the explosion of Half-Asha in Asha societies, as well as some converts of non-Asha who worship Baskarr, cause some complication with the religion. The whole of the Baskarr reincarnation cycle is based on the person being an Asha, so lacking Asha physiology in the purest sense causes problems. Most Baskarr priests have agreed on a principle of adoption, meaning that a Half-Asha is guaranteed entry since they have some Asha blood, but also that non-Asha can enter the Dauat if they are soul-bound to an Asha or Half-Asha. This soul binding ritual can be between lovers, friends, siblings, it doesn’t really matter. The non-Asha’s soul is however valued based on the Ma’at of the Asha or Half-Asha they are attached to. If for example the Asha is deemed unworthy, then the non-Asha’s soul (when they inevitably reach Dauat) they will also be deemed unworthy, and vice versa.
- Holy Animals: Here follows a list of all Holy Animals to the Baskarr Faith: Domestic Cats, Large Cats, Domestic Canines, Wild Canines, Otters, Beavers, Horses, Donkeys, Rats, Squirrels, Rabbits, Mice, Ferrets, Deer, Bears, and Primates. Notably not included are any bovine, avian, or fish species. This is because none of them are found among Asha appearances, thus safe to hunt and consume. Many Baskarr worshipers as a result are pescatarian, as only consuming fish meat ensures that no accidental holy animal meat is consumed.
- Canon Evil: There is no true Canon Evil for Baskarr worshipers, they acknowledge that evil resides in all creation, even the Gods themselves, and that evil is simply giving in to evil actions that inflict suffering, harm, or loss on others. However, there are certain things that are more prone to evil than others. Baskarr worshipers in particular identify Magic users and the Afflicted as more prone to evil than others, and likely having a much worse Ma’at. Baskarr worshipers are not necessarily hostile to Magic users, but must always acknowledge that these practitioners are capable of extreme harm, even accidental, and within the scope of Asha history have committed the greatest evils of all: genocide and enslavement.
- Identity: Baskarr has explicit genders, male, female, and the “third”, which is best understood to be non-binary. This applies to both genders and sexes. There is no distinction towards sexual orientation, or gender-identity bias, though there are certain traits that are strongly identified with gender-identity bias. For example, the god of fertility and progeny is male, and as such, virility or fertility is considered a male trait, while the goddess of knowledge is female, and as such, foresight and intellect are distinctly female traits. Non-binary individuals are capable of claiming both because Baskarr considers non-binary to imply “both” instead of “neither”.
- Conversion: Baskarr has no real laws on conversion, though there is a general expectation that all Asha and Half-Asha should be Baskarr, and if they are not, they should be convinced to follow Baskarr by the other Asha in their community. Non-Asha can join so long as they engage in the soul-bonded ritual and offering. Conversion away from Baskarr is not strictly illegal in that it does not cause anyone to wish to inflict violence, however it is considered a complete loss of Ma’at, because rejecting the God causes them to put stones on the scale. Converting away from Baskarr does not mean the Gods do not get to judge the soul.
- Sins & Taboo: The worst cases of sinning and taboo for Baskarr are enslavement of others, genocide and mass-violence, using Magic to murder, lack of hygiene, lack of self-care and exercise, killing and or consuming the meat of Holy Animals, destroying statues of the Gods, and impeding on the freedom of movement of others, except when that should be to inflict harm, commit crime, or invade private property.
Gods and Goddesses
Baskarr has the so-called Faces of Baskarr. The Faces refer to each of the Gods, thus the Gods are the “Faces of Origins”. The exact nature of the Faces is still highly debated among the Baskarr worshipers, Some believe them to be imminently divine individuals who existed before the Asha, others believe them to have been immensely powerful Asha who were born divine and thus shaped the faith as they came along. Whatever the truth, it is known at least that the five Faces were present during the Dewamenet days. There are presumed to be other Gods, and some of the excavations in the Paysec Desert in Ithania have revealed as much, but many of the details of the Otter and Okapi Gods have been lost to time, even if they can roughly be identified. Because no common consensus can be created for these Gods, they are not officially included, but many Baskarr faithful await the days that their pantheon is once more complete.
Akhet, Lord of Thousand Sons
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Akhet is the oldest and most powerful of the Baskarr Gods. His other names are the Sun-God, and the Lord of Thousand Sons. Akhet is an immensely large and bulk-muscle framed Rat Asha with golden metallic fur that shines brightly in the sunlight. Askhet has bright golden eyes Akhet is traditionally depicted with the orange Satoor, his symbol being a red sun with yellow accents. Akhet is usually depicted in some inviting or luring pose, drawing viewers in closer, appearing as if he is about to unclasp his Satoor. Akhet is represented by the sun, and so he is primarily a god of fertility and agriculture but also wealth and opulence. Akhet is also the god of war, combat, raw strength, and leadership. Akhet’s greatest flaw is that he is beset by an unquenchable thirst for the pleasures of life, such as drinking wine, eating food, and carnal desires.
Akhet’s blessings are wished for to bring good harvests and to stave away the wet seasons that cause harvests to rot, but also not to bring too much arid dry sunlight and scorch farms to nothingness. He is also worshiped for physical strength and victory in combat, as well as wealth and progress. Equally, Akhet’s curses are infidelity and loneliness. Baskarr worshipers believe that inappropriate horniness is caused by Akhet’s influence, and have as such adopted the practice of “beating the Akhet out”, by slapping a person on the back of the head who is acting inappropriately. Akhet worship is considered quite expensive which is why it is only done very rarely. To worship Akhet, small amounts of leaf-gold are bought, which are rubbed between the hands, before being allowed to fall down into a bowl of water, where they sink to the bottom and remain. With each prayer, the amount of gold-leaf flakes in the bottom increases, until it is completely covered in gold-leaf, after which it is heated and baked-in, after which it can be used to drink wine which is considered good fortune, to drink from Akhet’s bowl. Akhet can also be invoked on the battlefield. A final curiosity of note is that Akhet is considered somewhat of a mischievous god who frames a lot of his activities in what conquests he can make. Akhet is usually depicted as bisexual, though there are plenty of folklore stories of him disguising as a normal rat-asha with a golden fur-patch on his back, and stealing men’s wives. When someone acts horny in public, or performs a badly executed flirt, Baskarr worshipers may say “For Akhet’s sake” to notify their disappointment or revulsion. |
Yah, Lady of the Heavens
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Yah is the second oldest and most intelligent of the Baskarr Gods. Her other names are the Moon-Goddess and the Lady of the Heavens. Yah is a physically imposing and bulky Lioness Asha with dark gray fur. Her arms are more purple-blue and contain the sparkling star constellations and nebulae. Her Satoor is dark blue, with the phases of the moon as her symbol, along with the stars. Yah is usually depicted holding up the moon, and gazing up at the moon as her source of knowledge and all-seeing eye. Yah’s breasts are always depicted bound down to appear less feminine, which has led to some debate about her gender-identity, but generally speaking she is presumed female. Yah is represented by the Moon, and is a goddess of learning, foresight, precognition, diligence, sacrifice, motherhood (and to an extent fatherhood) and defense. Yah’s greatest flaw is indifference, or inability to act. Due to the fact that she holds up the heavens (Baskarr worshipers believe the moon will literally impact Aloria if she stops holding it up), she often ignores the faithful and those living on Aloria.
Yah and Akhet are considered mother and father, though they are not understood to be a pair. Yah and Akhet are distinctly not husband and wife, more like sister and brother, but they fulfill functional parental roles for the other Faces of Baskarr. Because of Akhet’s constant search for the next lover, Yah is usually seen as the single parent saddled with guiding the others in the absence of Akhet. Yah’s blessings are foresight and knowledge, learning, gaining new skills and talents, and success in research. Equally, Yah’s curses are lack of cohesive thought, forgetfulness, and losing contact with social connections because of neglect. Yah worship is done much more frequently than Akhet, mainly because it is relatively cheap. Yah worship can be done with any coin mostly made of Silver (this includes the Regal, which is silver plated with Gold). Worship is performed only at night, usually by candle light in a pond near the house, though it can be done in any body of water, even a fountain or a river or an ocean. Worship is commenced by whispering a prayer or wish to the coin, then asking the moon for a blessing, before tossing the coin in the water. Silver is notably Yah’s symbolic metal, and as such, Baskarr worshipers connect Silver with intellect and wisdom. A final curiosity of note is that Yah is frequently used both in greetings and farewells, and many other daily activities. There are however many versions, as over the years, many Asha sub-communities changed her name ever so slightly to account for dialects. As a result, there are multiple ways to spell Yah: Iah, J’h, Aah, Jah, and more. A common greeting is “Yah’s grace”, where Yah can be replaced with any of the other spellings. A common farewell is “Yah’s guidance”. Finally, when something extremely obvious happens or a Baskarr faithful discovers something they think should have been easy to understand, they might exclaim “Yah of course”, which many Common speakers might just misunderstand to be vernacular “Yes of course”. |
Ankh, Hands without Forgiving
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Ankh is a younger Goddess, considered the most fierce and brave of the Gods. Her other names are Earth-Mother and Hands without Forgiving. Ankh furthers the trend of large and physically imposing Baskarr gods and goddesses by being a large and brawny female polar bear-like Asha with cream white fur. Every depiction of Ankh features her with her over-sized punching gloves made of Living Metal, and Living Metal jewelry. Ankh’s Satoor is burgundy colored with the purple and red flames of the forge, or the Living Metal as pattern. Ankh is usually depicted in some pre-punch stance, or inspecting her craft. Ankh is said to have lost her hands as a punishment for some divine crime (though which crime is lost to time). As a result, she created Living Metal, and then shared this gift with the other Asha. This is what Ankh is mostly known for and worshiped for, as she is the most distinctly gifting of the Gods who interferes with the lives of the Asha. Ankh is also a goddess of other metals, forging, crafting, creativity, and inspiration. Her greatest flaw is disobedience and unlawfulness. Ankh is also the goddess of retribution and recompense, being the one who supposedly whispers justice in the ears of those who have been wronged.
Ankh’s blessings are wished for when prospecting for minerals or producing fine crafts, as well as success in business and sales, but also no trouble with the law. Equally, her curses are a watchful eye of the law-enforcement, lack of interest in business opportunities, misfortunes in investment, and art-block when it comes to crafting things. Ankh worship is passively done while engaging in creative arts whether it is drawing, weaving, writing, forging, or casting. Worship itself is done by performing Ankh’s song while being busy, which is a ballad-style song in the ancient Dewamenet tongue, of which only select words are left. Another form of Ankh worship is performed by purchasing crafts equipment, raw materials, or other tools for producing, and then giving some of them away to others for charity. This can for example be done by buying a whole batch of pencils and colored wax, and giving some of it away to a friend or a complete stranger and encouraging them to try and express themselves through creativity also. A final note of curiosity is that there are some distinct parallels to be made between the Unionist goddess Elia and Ankh, even if the two existed on complete opposite ends of the Allorn timeline. Both enjoyed punching things with their oversized punching gloves. Both were (presumed) to be lesbians, and both married a (presumed) homosexual husband (Ankh’s husband being Wadj) for appearance reasons. There are however no further connections between the two or any noteworthy relevance. |
Wadj, Gaze upon Infinity
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Wadj is a younger god, considered the most devious and deceitful of the Faces of Baskarr. His other names are Mind-Bender and Gaze upon Infinity. Wadj is an athletic bull-terrier or jackal style Asha with dark gray and light brown fur, though he is frequently also depicted as different types of canine Asha due to his natural shapeshifting nature. Wadj is the only Face of Baskarr without a Satoor. Instead, Wadj is always depicted wearing Elastaan, the Asha stretchy and reflective fabric, but with a yellow/green sulfuric hue. Wadj’s body is always depicted constantly emitting steam, with his body being covered in undecipherable tattoos or lines, each glowing with a yellow/green sulfuric hue. Wadj is the god of intrigue, deceit, plans within plans, but also of design and inventions. His greatest flaw is self-enamorment. It is said that Wadj is so full of himself and in love with himself that he does not see obvious threats arise near him.
Wadj’s body lines are immensely important. Many of the Dewamenet ruins have depictions of Wadj appearing before the technicians, teaching them the first principle basics of Steamtek and how to eventually design the most elaborate Living Metal devices that the Asha in the modern era could only ever dream of understanding. It is said that Wadj’s body lines look different for each person who gazes upon them, that each inventor sees different lines, different shapes, and different orientations, but that each such a viewing reveals technology of terrifying potential, only for that viewer to understand. Examples of this are the massive steam-generators that now rot and collapse in the Ithanian desert, or the huge land treatment plants producing massive underground waterways capable of irrigating the desertified Ashal Isles. It is said that Wadj knows this, and covers up his body with cloth, only willing to remove it when he feels he has seduced the mortal to perform his own desires, something that the Baskarr faithful consider vile (though many would still submit to, in the hopes of unlocking ancient Dewamenet designs). Wadj is as such not traditionally worshiped. The Baskarr worshipers fall just short of calling him an evil God (because there is no true Evil in the Faith of Baskarr), but in general he is considered somewhat of an antagonist or villain-archetype, a god who always knows in what immense position of power he is, and constantly seeks ways to abuse it. Wadj is thought to be in a performative marriage with Ankh, whom he knows to be a lesbian, while she also understands that he is homosexual. It is said this performative marriage exists only because Wadj gave Ankh the designs for mind-controlling Living Metal, and because Ankh serves as a perfect distraction for Yah, who is convinced that Wadj is “settled down”, and thus turns a blind eye to all his escapades on Aloria because a married man couldn’t possibly fornicate out of wedlock. |
Ra’mut, Guidance of Wayfarers
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Ra’mut is the youngest of the gods and considered the most free of the gods. His other names are Sea-Strider and Guidance of Wayfarers. Ra’mut is an athletic Zebra-like non-binary Asha with white fur and black stripes, as well as a large black mane. Their satoor is lime or mint-green, with the feather of the Ma’at and freedom as a symbol. Ra’mut is the god of freedom and exploration, of travel and the wind, of the ocean and the plantlife, all very different things, but all things intrinsically linked to freedom. The wind and plantlife are free from concerns and earthly connections, while the air and the sea are the great and free open expanses. Ra’mut’s greatest flaw is being average for a God. The other Gods all have fantastical properties and abilities, while Ra’mut is just mundane, always pointing in some interesting direction or offering guidance, but having no flashy powers or fantastical aesthetics. Many would even mistake them for just being an average mortal Asha if they ever met them. Following this trend, Ra’mut is depicted in a fairly neutral stance, with one arm pointing off into the distance, and the other hand balled into a fist in anticipation for a journey. Unlike the other Gods, Ra’mut doesn’t really have any flaws (if being rather mundane is disregarded).
Ra’mut’s blessings are wished for when going on a journey or travel, to safely arrive at the destination, or to discover a great many interesting things along the way. Ra’mut blessings are also wished for when a person experiences a lack of direction or confusion about where to go in life. Ra’mut has been known to travel around the world as a sagely guide for those whose lives feel like they are at a standstill. It is said that they are the most frequent to mingle with mortals while pretending to be just an average Asha (if one were to disregard the amount of times Akhet quickly dips in and out of Asha Society). Most people would never even know if they had met Ra’mut however, as they can mostly be found just sitting in taverns or pubs drinking, and waiting for someone down on their luck to sit down near them at the bar to begin a conversation. Ra’mut is usually also thought to be the mediator and communicator between the other Faces of Baskarr. While Akhet and Yah are supposed to guide the others, it is usually only Ra’mut who can attract Yah’s attention, or get Akhet to stop skirt-chasing for a moment to sit down with the others. Equally, he is the only one who can get Wadj and Ankh to sit down and work on something together. And finally, he is also considered the messenger of the gods. Obviously, Yah cannot step down from her monumental task to keep the Heavens up, and as such, she passes messages down through Ra’mut to the faithful (and on occasion, unfaithful). |
Priesthood
Baskarr does not have a priestly hierarchy like Unionism or the Faith of Estel, but that does not mean it has no priests at all. Rather, priests are called Diviners, because their task is not so much to preach, but to try and interpret the life-signs or words of the Gods provided to the faithful. While many faithful could live their whole lives without seeing a God once, the actions of the gods can still be interpreted in the world around them. Furthermore, Baskarr Diviners offer social services, a form of therapy for those who have had evil actions inflicted on them, but also to offer advice on how to enact retribution, or practice forgiveness, depending on what the person seeking help wants. To become a Baskarr Diviner, one does not need any formal training, one simply decides to be one. It is usually required however for the Diviner to wear the Satoor in exact design of the god or goddess they primarily represent, with Wadj having some more freedom (or, if the person refuses to wear Elastaan, to wear a pure-black Satoor). Baskarr Temples are also fairly informal because worship is a more personal arrangement. Still, a matter of public acknowledgement of the gods has some value, and as such, shrines with statues of the Faces can be found in all major Asha population centers.
Trivia
- The Faces of Baskarr have the misfortune of frequently being misgendered by outsiders due to their large-leaning physical appearance, and because some of them have gender identities different than their appearance, or because they take more appearance traits of the opposite gender.
- It is well understood that a lot of the nuance of the faith is not understood because the pantheon is incomplete. It is for example possible that the relation between Akhet and Yah is very different, if Yah’s husband god was supposedly found. Many Baskarr faithful disregard this potential reality for now, under the assumption they will correct their beliefs when new information is brought to light.
- There is a constant information war going on between the Allorn Empire and the Ashal States. The Ashal States fund research and excavations into historical sites, but Estellian fundamentalists are well known to enact acts of terrorism on these historical sites as a continuation of erosion of Asha identity. The Allorn revanchists benefit from mitigating Asha nationalism, as millions of Asha are still enslaved in the Allorn and Dread Empires.
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